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The town was of an average size, larger than Resembool but smaller then Dublith, far enough in the middle of nowhere that they weren’t worried about being found by the military, but still large enough that plenty of traders passed through, hence the colorful weekend market filling the main street.
The group had decided to camp on the outskirts of the town for a few days, taking the chance to restock their supplies, but Greed and Ling had a different plan, declaring their intention to go explore the town for the day.
Edward had argued that there was too much risk of them being spotted, but they had brushed him off easily. They knew how to handle themselves.
Besides, they hadn’t had a chance to spend time together, just the two of them, since they were transported back in time.
And, in a way Greed knew they would have never thought possible back when they were stuck together, alone in those tunnels for weeks, he knew they both missed it a little.
Hence, their day off.
Don’t get him wrong, Greed likes his friends, likes the small, eclectic group they’d collected for themselves, the one that this time, they were going to keep. He liked teasing Ed, and talking with Al, and everything about having Bido around, and slowly nudging the chimeras into sharing their own thoughts more often.
But there was something special about Ling. Something about it just being the two of them, about feeling it was them against the world, that he had missed.
They hadn’t been walking for very long before their stomach grumbled.
I’m hungryyyy, Ling whined, like Greed couldn’t also feel it.
Alright, well we’re still a small distance from the town, but I’m sure we can buy something once we get there, Greed offers.
We could do that, Ling agrees, Or…
“Hungry…” Ling groans 20 minutes later, lying on the street just inside the town, “Need… food…”
“Oh, you poor dear!” A elderly woman notices him almost immediately, gently helping him up, “Here, I have some leftovers back home.”
Before long, there is a steaming bowl of soup placed down in front of them that Ling eagerly slurps up.
“Thanks!” He tells the women gratefully through his half full mouth, “You really helped me out here. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Oh, it's no trouble. It’s always nice to help someone in need.” The woman assures him kindly, her husband already ladling more soup into Ling’s bowl.
“Here, have some more. You seem like you need it.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” The woman asks him, once Ling has finished his fourth bowl and moved onto the fifth with no signs of stopping. Greed has lived in his head for months, and sometimes it still amazes him how much the kid can put away.
“Ah,” Ling offers her a lopsided smile, somehow looking both regretful and light-hearted at the same time, self-deprecating enough to inspire pity, but still maintaining the air that this entire thing was a rather funny joke so as to not make his hosts uncomfortable.
The prince's control over his facial expressions really was something else, Greed muses, proud and a little bit in awe.
“It was silly of me. I have a medical condition that requires me to eat more than the average person. I was on a camping trip with my friends but somehow seemed to have gotten lost and forgot to eat. I really am grateful to you for helping me.” His voice is so sincere and earnest even the women can’t help but blush, waving him off embarrassedly, “If you don’t mind, could you tell me what town this is?”
“This is Urestway.” The husband informs him and Ling beams.
“Oh good, I think I know how to get back to my friends from here!”
Once he’s finally finished with his lunch, Ling stands up, reaching over to gratefully shake the hands of the women and her husband, “Thank you again for helping me like this. I promise I can pay you back, just tell me how much you want-” He makes a show of patting his pockets, hiding his satisfied smile as the woman moves to stop him.
“Please, you don’t owe us anything. We’re just happy we were able to help.”
Damn kid, Greed whistles, You scare me sometimes.
It is not the first time he’s seen Ling play a group of people like a fiddle, but it still never ceases to amaze him. It’s fascinating, the way Ling can walk up to a complete stranger and with only a couple words get exactly what he wanted from them while giving nothing in return.
Greed thinks he should probably disapprove on principle, but somehow, because it’s Ling, he finds that he feels nothing but impressed.
After thanking their victims benefactors for their help again, Greed and Ling wander off to explore the rest of the market, perusing through the booths selling a variety of little trinkets and snacks and clothes.
Ling suddenly notices a stall a little further down the row and audibly gasps, grabbing control of their body and making a bee-line towards it, Oh, Greed, you are in for a treat!
Greed allows the prince to drag him along, squinting suspiciously, Why am I suddenly nervous?
Ling doesn’t even bother to respond to him, even cheekily, which is how Greed knows the kid is really excited (that and the waves of emotion leaking through their bond), continuing to grin giddily.
The booth itself is nothing special, and a fair bit simpler than most of the others around it, with a simple wooden frame and a white cloth covering the counter, with barrels stacked up behind it.
Ling greets the man running the stall in Xingense and the man eagerly responds in kind. Now that they’re closer, Greed can clearly see that it is indeed a Xingense man, the writing above the stall and on the little menu board all in the same language.
Thanks to Ling, Greed can understand Xingense when the brat feels like sharing that part of their senses with him, which is good, because otherwise being emperor of Xing would be a lot harder in the future. Right now though, Ling seems pretty intent on keeping whatever this is a secret, and is refusing to translate.
After a couple minutes of conversation ended by Ling forking over some of their money (Well, Edward’s money that they had lifted for the purposes of their shopping trip today), the stallkeeper turned to open one of his barrels before presenting them with a glass of an unfamiliar liquid.
Ling pushed Greed back into control of their body, eagerly gesturing to Greed to drink it.
The homunculus hesitates, bringing the glass up to his face to investigate the liquid. It’s almost red, closer to maroon or crimson than the darker color of a red wine, and it has a distinctly sharp, floral scent.
Kid… is this alcohol?
Now, Greed ran a bar, and he’d like to say that he’s pretty familiar with most kinds of alcohol, but whatever it is in this cup is one he doesn’t recognize. He can’t deny he’s curious, but also…
Aren’t we still underage?
Ling scoffs, waving him off, The legal age of adulthood in Xing is 16, so mentally we’re both already there, and this body will physically get there in only a couple months. It’s fine.
Greed does not look reassured, I’m pretty sure Lan Fan will kill me if I get you illegally drunk.
One drink isn’t going to do that much. Ling argues, Besides, court events in Xing are always open bar and no one ever bothers to check the age of the people grabbing drinks, so it’s not like it’d be the first time for either of us.
Greed raises an eyebrow, grinning as his shoulders relax, You got a secret wild side you’re hiding from me? He teases, and Ling winks back.
Wouldn’t you like to know?
Ling drapes himself across Greed’s back and shoulders in the mindscape until his face is hovering next to Greed, Now go on, try it! I want to see your reaction!
Greed shrugs, lifting the cup to take his first sip.
Holy shit. What is this?
Ling giggles, It’s Guìhuājiǔ, a popular wine from back home made with osmanthus flowers. It’s my favorite!
Greed takes another sip. This stuff was good.
It was sweeter than he might have normally liked, but that only served to enhance its mild and flowery flavor. It was the kind of alcohol you could keep drinking all evening without feeling the effects until you tried to stand up and realized you were drunker than you thought.
Me and Lan Fan smuggled a bottle up to the roof to share the night before we left for Amestris. Ling confesses to him, voice fond and bittersweet, We didn’t know what was going to happen, but we knew that even if everything went as planned we’d be coming back with a lot more responsibilities on our shoulders. It felt like it was our last chance to just be stupid teenagers.
And then you immediately went and conned food out of the Elrics. Greed deadpanned, Face it, you still are stupid teenagers.
Maybe now, Ling argued back, But after…
After they defeated Father, he and Greed would be heading back to Xing to become Emperor. They would have responsibilities then, the fate of all 50 clans resting on their shoulders and years of uphill battles if they actually wanted to change anything.
Ling had been raised to be the emperor for his entire life, it was his dream, the thing he wanted more than anything, and yet… he didn’t know if he was ready yet.
There would be no time to be a kid anymore when he was emperor, no time to even just do things like this, to spend the whole day as just the two of them in some random town.
He didn’t know if he was ready to lose this.
Greed must have felt the uncertainty wafting off of Ling, because his own emotions come up to wrap around Ling like a warm blanket, Well. Even if you are emperor, there won’t be anything you can do about the demon possessing your body deciding it wants to go have a vacation for a day, and Xing will just have to accept that.
Ling laughs, just like Greed hoped he would.
I suppose you’re right. I mean, it’s not like I have any hope of controlling you when you decide you want something, He grins back.
Damn right. Greed agrees, taking another swig of the drink, This stuff is fucking delicious, though. What did you say it was made from?
Osmanthus flowers. I’m pretty sure they’re steeped in the wine to give it its flavor?
Well it works. I should have been selling this at the Nest. I would have been the richest man in Dublith within a week!
Ling laughs. When we’re emperor, we’ll have mountains of the stuff for you to drink whenever you want. He promises, and if there are other sorts of Amestrian liqueurs you like, we’ll import a bunch of that for you too.
Greed raises an eyebrow, turning his head to eye Ling, Planning on spoiling me rotten once we’re emperor, hmm? He hums.
Ling blushes, the tips of his ears turning faintly red in the most adorable way even as he nods seriously, Of course. Whatever you want, I’m going to get it for you.
Whatever I want, huh? Greed drawls, You know who I am, that’s a pretty tall order.
I don’t care. Ling shakes his head, I’m yours, there’s no question about that, but you're also mine, and I want to take care of you as well.
The earnest sincerity in his voice strikes Greed dumb for a moment, as tends to happen whenever Ling is so blatantly affectionate with him.
Ling takes advantage of his moment of distraction to take control and finish the rest of their drink.
He had meant every word that he said, yes, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Greed should no better then to leave food unattended.
Hey, kid? Greed starts hesitantly, and Ling hums, pulling his attention fully into their mindscape to focus on his partner, rather than where he had been lounging on the grass and watching the clouds.
They are only a couple days away from Resembool, only a couple weeks away from the Promised day, and the weight of that has been hanging over the whole group like a shroud, even as they go about their daily routines, or what passes for routine while they’re on the run.
We should tell them, shouldn’t we?
Greed doesn’t need to specify more for Ling to understand what he’s talking about, dread dropping into his stomach like a ball.
He really doesn’t want to have this conversation.
They haven’t talked about their time-traveling again since it happened, not really. Not in the way they should have.
Ling had been hoping to put it off for a little longer.
I mean, everyone is trying to make plans right now, and so sharing all the information we know is a good idea, especially since we want things to turn out differently.
Yeah, we probably should. Ling murmurs, but his words sound stilted and hollow even to himself, knowing as much as possible is important to making plans, and we can help with that.
Despite his words, Greed can feel the hesitation coming from Ling, how unenthusiastic he is towards the idea. He just doesn’t understand why.
And Ling is refusing to meet his eyes.
But you don’t want to. Greed infers softly, and Ling grimaces.
It doesn’t matter.
Of course it does! Greed insists, This is us. Wants matter more than anything.
But you’re right. Ling snaps, We need to come up with a plan so you don’t have to- His words cut off mid-sentence before resuming, and Edward or Alphonse would almost certainly have some ideas to help so we should tell them. Most of the effect of the harsh quality of his words is lost, as he sounds only a hair’s breadth away from shattering.
Ling… One of Greed’s hands comes up slowly to rest on his cheek, forcing the prince to look at him, You know you aren’t going to be able to keep this from me. So just tell me what’s wrong.
Ling breaks, hands coming up to clutch tightly at the fabric of Greed’s shirt while his head slumps forward to rest against his chest, What are we even supposed to tell them? ‘Hey, we’ve been lying to you for months!’ ‘Hey, we’ve already been through this once and failed!’ or even worse ‘We succeeded, but the cost was too great to bear!’ ‘Hey, the only way we defeated Father last time was you dying for it-!’
But I won’t this time, Greed reminds, ever so gently, reaching down to carefully untwist where Ling’s hand had clenched tight in a way he knew was painful, even if they didn’t really feel things here, You said it yourself, we’re gonna find another way. I promised, remember, I’m staying right here.
Ling’s breath hitches, like a choked-off sob, But what if they decide it’s worth it? He admits finally, voice shaky, I mean, Father did die last time thanks to you, what if they decide it’s too risky to try another plan and to just stick to the one we know works?
Edward and Alphonse would never, you know that- Greed reminds, confused, but Ling only shakes his head.
I’m not worried about Edward and Alphonse. But if we tell them, everybody is going to have to find out, and I know how politicians work. They aren’t going to be willing to risk sacrificing the many for the one, not when they know a plan that works, not when this is war.
Ling looks up at him then, meeting his gaze for the first time, eyes shining with unshed tears and Greed has never seen him look so broken, so scared, save for when he had sacrificed himself.
And he hates it, because he promised himself that Ling would never look like that again and yet here he is and that means Greed has failed at something.
But I can’t lose you, Ling continues, words pouring from his mouth without his control now that he has started talking, a flood of the fears he had tried to avoid thinking about for so long, I’m not willing to risk you being their backup plan, and if we tell people, you will be.
Greed reaches down to scoop Ling into his arms, cradling his human against his chest, providing comfort the best way he knows how.
Then we won’t. He promises, foreheads pressed together as Ling slumps deeper into his arms, like he’s trying to fuse them together completely, We can share our information and just write it off as my insider info. We’ll find another way.
Ling shakes his head frantically, I can’t ask you to do that. This will be forever Greed, this will mean we never get to tell anyone the truth, and you hate lying.
Greed chuckles wryly, I do, He agrees, But I thought we already established there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.
Despite himself, Ling laughs, wet and choked, burying himself further into Greed.
Ling doesn’t cry like a normal person, Greed had noticed. There doesn’t tend to be tears involved at all, no wails and scrunched up faces and hiccupping breaths. Like every other big emotion Ling displays, it’s subtle, almost unnoticeable if you don’t know what you’re looking for, a weakness he has long since learned to stifle before it could be taken advantage of.
Greed adores it, because adores every part of Ling, but he also wishes Ling had never had to learn that something like that was necessary, wishes that he could have been there all along to protect Ling from anything that could have hurt him in this way.
Eventually Ling calms down, and the two uncurl themselves from the little ball they had formed in their mindscape.
It’s proudly for the best we aren’t telling anybody, Greed comments, attempting to lighten the atmosphere, I don’t want to have to be the one to tell Buccaneer he lost to Wrath. He’d probably just charge at him twice as fast with something to prove.
Ling snorts, Forget that, I don’t want to have to be the one to tell Olivier Buccaneer lost to Wrath. She’d probably charge at him with her sword already swinging and something to prove.
Greed cocked his head, …Admittedly, that might be a pretty good plan.
We’ll table it as an option. Ling agrees and they both laugh.
Just in time too, a moment later Winry skids into view in front of their body, forcefully shaking their shoulders to get their attention.
“Greed! I need you to answer some questions for me!”
Greed sighs, pulling himself into a better position to take control even as he keeps one arm clutching Ling to his chest.
“Sorry,” Alphonse apologies, just a step behind Winry with his brother beside him, “You seemed like you were really deep in conversation so we tried to stop her, but you know how Winry gets when she
has an idea.”
“It’s fine, kid.” Greed waves him off easily, “What did you want to know?”
“Tell me how your Ultimate Shield works.” Winry demands, already pulling out a notebook and pencil as if to take notes, “I had an idea to upgrade Ed’s automail inspired by the way your finger plates almost seem to overlap, but I have a couple questions first.”
Greed shrugs, nonplussed, summoning his Shield to coat his hand and offering it for Winry to examine. Most of what she had said went right over his head, but he was happy to help if he could.
“Well, you know it’s made of carbon, as Ed figured out, and it can coat my entire body. Other than that, there’s not much to tell.”
“How does it work, though?” Winry presses, “Like, how do you activate it?”
Greed furrows his brow, “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s not something I learned. It’s like talking for you guys, I guess, I just know how to do it.” Greed shrugs nonchalantly, only noticing a second later the weird looks everyone is giving him.
Even the prince has gone silent, his emotions hesitant and awkward, …Uh, Greed? Us humans actually do have to learn how to talk.
“What?!” Greed exclaims, furrowing his brow, “Are you joking with me? I’ve been around for 200 years, I’d think I’d know if human children couldn’t speak.”
Well… it is a skill we tend to pick up rather quickly, but for almost the first two years of our lives, babies do have to learn to speak. Ling explains, really unsure how to approach finding out that Greed doesn’t know how babies work.
Now it’s Greed’s turn to be bewildered, “But that’s insane! That just seems so unnecessarily difficult for you guys! You just don’t get to talk for the first couple years? How do you tell people if you need something?!”
“It’s not like we picked to be like this.” Edward grumbles. He’s only been able to hear one half of the conversation, but he can guess as to what Ling had been saying.
“So why do you guys all speak different languages if it’s not ‘oh, I was born here so I just speak this language’?! Can’t you all just learn the same language!? That would be so much easier!” Greed shouts, looking completely flabbergasted by all of humanity.
Edward blinks at him slowly, “I… I don’t even know how to get into this with you. Ling, this is entirely your responsibility. I’m leaving.”
He turns and walks away without looking back.
Edward loves likes tolerates his friends, but right now, if he has to hear their fucking voice again, he is going to strangle them.
Greed must be in love.
That must be what this feeling is, this incredible warmth and joy flooding through him.
There is a dog, sitting in his lap, licking his face, and he’s pretty sure life has peaked.
Den had not appreciated Greed when they had first arrived in Resembool two days ago, which had been devastating, but after a while Winry had managed to convince the three-legged dog that Greed was not a threat, despite the ominous energy coming off of him, and Den had grown to accept the mountains of affection Greed was all too happy to shower upon him.
It was great.
Resembool was so cool. They had already visited the Elric's hometown in the previous timeline, and loved it then as well, but this time was even better, Greed was sure of it. It was probably mainly because Alphonse was here this time to help show them around, which meant Edward wasn’t moping about missing his brother.
Though it was a little hard to pretend to be surprised by things they shouldn’t have had any way of knowing about as the brothers and Winry showed them around town. Secret time-travel did come with its downsides, apparently, but it was also an opportunity to make a game out of switching out to see who could come up with the better reactions.
Neither of them had ever had a chance to spend much time in a small town, and it was still a novel experience for them. To see people they didn’t know stopping on the street to greet the Elric brothers as they gave them a tour around town, asking how they had been doing and filling them in on things that had happened while they were gone, it spoke to a sense of community neither had ever encountered before.
Last time they had been a little preoccupied worrying about what would happen on the Promised Day, a worry that wasn’t gone, but had definitely faded with the help of knowing most of the future.
But it was also nicer now that Greed could admit a community like that was something he wanted, rather than pushing any thoughts related to the pit it opened up in his chest away.
All in all, the last two days had been highly enjoyable. Resembool was great, Granny was even better, somehow even more hilarious than last time as she ragged on Alphonse as well as Edward, and the delicious food they were receiving every meal was somehow even better than that.
The dog, of course, was the best part though.
Eventually, tragically, Den grows bored and jumps out of Greed’s lap, setting off down the hall in search of Winry. Greed pouts, allowing Ling to take control of their body and saunter in the direction of Edward’s room.
The boy in question was currently sitting on his bed, alchemy books and papers scattered around him as he did… something. Research probably.
Edward grunts in acknowledgement as they enter, but doesn’t look up from his papers. Ling will bother him in a moment, but for now he contents himself with looking around Edward’s shelves.
“What’s this?” He asked, grabbing a thin strip of blue ribbon off one of the shelves and holding it up.
Edward flicks his eyes up to look at it for just a second before going back to reading, “I think that’s from when Alphonse was trying to experiment with ‘hairstyles’. It probably should be garbage now.”
Ling hums, “Well, it’s mine now.” He declares. They’d been needing a new hair ribbon for a while now, as their old one was starting to get terribly frayed.
Edward blinks, slowly turning to look at them fully, eyes scanning them up and down, “...Who am I talking to right now?”
Greed cackles, walking over to sling an arm around Edward’s shoulder and ruffle his hair, “What? Are you saying you can’t tell us apart? I’m offended!”
Edward swats at his hand, scowling, “No! Normally I can tell you apart just fine! It’s just right then you looked like the same person.”
Ling raises an eyebrow, “That tends to happen, Ed. I don’t know if you noticed, but we share a face.”
“I know that.” Edward huffs, “And normally I can tell you apart by your expressions. Greed looks like an asshole, and Ling looks like an asshole, but sneakier. Only just now, your expression could have gone either way.”
“Are you saying I was making a ‘Greed expression’?” Ling asks, tilting his head to the side.
“So it was you?”
“Whose to say?” Ling shrugs, laughing as Edward growls at him, “Do you wanna guess and then we’ll tell you if you're right?”
“Fuck you! Just give me a straight answer, damnit, so I can ensure it never happens again! It was freaky and I don’t like it!”
“Don’t like what? This?” Greed asks, closing his eyes and channeling as much of the prince into his expression and voice as he could, “Which of us is this, Edward?”
“I hate you.” Edward grumps, crossing his arms and glaring at them balefully, “Somehow, that is the creepiest thing you’ve ever done.”
Greed laughs, letting the act fall, “Well, pissant, maybe this means we’re fusing together even more. You’re becoming more like me and I’m becoming more like you.”
Ling snickers, “I don’t know if the world could handle that. Forget whatever your father’s doing, that’s the real way to make an ultimate being.”
“More like ultimate annoyance.” Edward spits, sparking another round of teasing.
Once the two of them had been forcefully evicted from Edward’s room and the door slammed shut behind them, Ling speaks up again.
You know, I don’t think I really mind that idea.
What? Greed asks, directing his attention inward to where Ling is sitting cross legged against his side.
Us becoming more like each other. It’s a real phenomenon, isn’t it? People picking up the traits of those they’re close with? And I can’t think of anyone closer than you and I.
I guess not, Greed agrees, pursuing his lips, But it’s a little weird to think about, isn’t it? A version of us in the future that’s so blended together no one can tell us apart anymore?
I think it’d be sweet. Ling disagrees, What better way to prove we really are just two halves of one whole person?
Greed hums, reaching a hand out to tangle their fingers together, But I like us as two people.
Yeah. Ling smiles, squeezing back, I like us as two people as well. Besides, I don’t think that’s something we really have to worry about. He turns, grinning up at Greed impishly, My personality is already too perfect to be diluted by yours.
Greed snorts, I think you got the two of us mixed up, kid, because everyone knows that I’m the perfect one.
Riiiiight. Ling nods, That’s what everyone thought when you slipped and fell off the fence yesterday.
Greed makes an offended face, poking at him, That was your fault and you know it! You got distracted by the smell of stew and abruptly yanked us in that direction!
Ling pokes him back, unwilling to be beaten, Says the one who sent us sprawling out onto the ground when he yanked our legs out from under me after seeing a sheep he wanted to pet!
That sheep was fluffy as hell! I had to!
They continue to poke each other back and forth, calling out moments the other had been an embarrassing fool until Greed flicks Ling in the forehead and Ling tackles him in retaliation, sending the two rolling over each other throughout the mindscape.
Abandoned by both of them, their body sits slumped over on the floor of the hallway, Den slowly padding over to lick at their forehead.
(When Edward comes out of his room half an hour later, he trips over their leg. Needless to say, he is even more pissed at them after that.
Oh, the joys of having friends.)
“So… you knew my father before… all of this?” Greed is the one to initiate the conversation, walking up to where Hohenheim is sitting alone.
The rest of the group is sitting a little ways away, enjoying the cool evening. It was only their first day in Kanama, but all of them were already exhausted from traveling, scattered throughout the square in the small town and resting.
Edward seethed with the rest of them, occasionally tossing hateful glares in Hohenheim’s direction, having punched him again as soon as he laid eyes on the man earlier that afternoon. Naturally, this meant Alphonse was over there trying to calm him down rather than talking with his father the way he so clearly wanted to, and Hohenheim had just looked so pitifully lonely Ling had finally managed to convince Greed to go talk to him.
The smug little minx in question currently looked very proud of himself, splayed out so his head was resting in Greed’s lap while the homunculus absentmindedly ran his fingers through silky hair, the motion soothing to them both.
Which was good, because Greed already knew that this conversation would not be fun.
He had avoided talking to Hohenheim the first time around, when everything still felt too new and raw, but this time Ling had managed to convince him that a conversation might actually be good for them both.
And damn it all to hell, but Greed never seemed to be able to say no to him anymore.
Hohenheim turned, startled by the sound of another person approaching him, “Oh! You are… Greed, correct? One of the Dwarf in the Flask’s sons?”
Greed resists the urge to flinch. He knows Hohenheim refers to Father as simply the Dwarf in the Flask, but it still startles him every time to hear it. It’s strange, to hear that level of disrespect, more than even Greed had ever dared, and a part of him almost expects Pride to slink off the shadows and kill them all for it.
Nothing happens, of course, other than the prince’s worry brushing up against him for his reaction.
“Yeah.” Greed responds instead, forcing his voice to stay casual as he plops himself down next to Hohenheim, stretching out their legs, “You said you knew my old man and I guess… I was curious.”
Hohenheim nods slowly, gaze refocusing back towards the trees, “I suppose the version of your father that I knew would be very different then the one you did.” He says at last.
Greed snorts bitterly, “Well, duh. He did kinda rip 7 parts out of himself. That would change a person.”
Hohenheim starts, “Oh, that wasn’t what I meant, but I suppose that as well.” His voice tapers off, seeming very lost in thought. Greed gives him time.
“Your father and I were friends once.” Hohenheim eventually explains, “Or at least, I thought we were friends. As it turns out, he was actually just using us, but for those first couple years…”
“Yeah,” Greed sighs, staring out into the darkness, “He does that. He’s pretty good at making you think he’s helping you even when he isn’t.”
Ling reaches out to grab his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. If Hohenheim notices the way their hands are clutching at each other, one thumb soothingly stroking along the inside of their own palm, he doesn’t mention it.
“Yes,” Hohenheim chuckles, and it is a sad, sad sound, “I suppose you would know. But… and this might be hard for you to believe, but I don’t think he was lying the whole time. There was something real I shared with him, some level of care he must have had to keep me alive, and… he told me once, that the thing he wanted more than anything was his freedom. I may hate him for what he did to my people, but… I cannot fault him for that.”
He looks over towards Greed, his smile small and painful, “Of course, knowing what you know of him, you probably don’t believe that.”
“I do.” Greed answers immediately, “Of course I know what he wanted. I… I am his wants.” He looks down towards his hands, towards the Oroborus, dark against their skin, “He wanted freedom and friends and the chance to be human and he wanted them with a great burning hunger, with a gaping hole in the center of his chest. I know, because that’s what I am.”
He looks up, meeting Hohenheim’s golden gaze, “He passed all his desires into me.”
Hohenheim is the one to look away first, the silence building between them.
Well, Greed muses, because now that he’s thinking about it… Me and Envy. The poor shmucks stuck with Father’s desire for companionship. Lucky us.
Envy? Ling asked, confused, Envy?!? For all his skill with words, he can’t find a better way to phrase his question.
Sure, Greed shrugs, I mean, that’s their big secret. What did you think they were jealous of?
When Ling can only send befuddlement back through their bond, he laughs.
I know, I handle it a lot better than they do. Still, greed and envy, you know? Two sides of the same coin.
I just… I can’t picture you and Envy ever getting along. Ling admits.
Greed scowls, We don’t. They’re always trying to take my shit. Whatever I have, they want. It’s fucking irritating.
Ling snickers, the traitorious bastard, but they are pulled out of their conversation by Hohenheim speaking again.
“We had a concept in Xerxes. The Perfect Being, who became such by expelling all their sins. To seek perfection in the way your father has, is that not an inherently human thing?”
Hohenheim turns, eyes meeting Greed’s, searching for something in him that Greed knows he cannot provide.
And suddenly, he thinks he understands Hohenheim.
This is a man who has spent his life trying to make up for the mistake of his past, who lives everyday with the soul-crushing regret of having chosen the wrong person to trust and who blames himself every day for it.
And yet, this is a man who cannot bring himself to truly blame the one he trusted, his first friend.
This is a man who decided that the guilt should be laid on his shoulders alone, who knows that there is no other way this could have worked out, who knows he has a duty to take down the one who did this in the first place, and who sees his own suffering as part of that necessary comeuppance.
Greed understands, because he has carried a similar guilt.
“Don’t… don’t pity my father.” He tells Hohenheim finally, and it is not gentle, because Greed doesn’t think he remembers how to be truly gentle with anyone but Ling anymore, but it isn’t harsh either, “He gave up those desires you pity him for a long time ago. He shed them as if they were stains. He’s long abandoned any humanity you remember seeing in him and he chose to do so. Don’t pity him for that. He doesn’t deserve it.”
Ling’s hand is warm where it touches his face, his smile proud and soft, and it is like a balm to the ache in Greed’s heart.
Hohenheim watches them for a long moment before he laughs quietly, “I suppose, at the end of the day, I really am just a foolish old man.” He smiles at them, the warmest Greed has seen him this entire interaction, “But I thank you anyway.”
“Don’t mention it.” Greed shrugs, standing up and dusting off their legs, “I think I needed this as well.” And with that, he walks away, waving one more time at Hohenheim over his shoulder.
I’m proud of you, Ling murmurs from inside their head, still beaming up at him in that soft way that Greed knows is seeing though all his layers, all the fronts he tries to put up, and finding the core of him is something to smile at anyway, I know that wasn’t easy for you.
Greed shrugs, which Ling knows is his go-to move for playing off how much he is affected by something. Turns out you were right, He admits, That was good for me.
The prince's smile is like sunlight, bright and warm, and Greed thinks he could bask in it forever. He grimaces as soon as the thought comes. What is it about the pissant that makes him so damn sappy?
You’d think you’d be used to that considering how often I’m right! Ling chirps and Greed shoves at his face, rather than continue that train of thought.
Yeah, yeah, whatever.
“Ah, you got that right!” Greed calls down towards Bradley smugly after his comment about humanity's foolish stubbornness, perched on the roof of the Central Command building, “I mean, we’re back to kick your ass again when you’d think we’d have really gotten tired of it by now. For some reason, though, tearing our claws through you never becomes less satisfying.
The Promised Day had finally come. Mustang and the Briggs soldiers had already started their assault on the city before their group had arrived, the Elric’s and chimeras splitting up to head towards Father’s lair, while Greedling left to where they knew their first fight would be.
This, at least, they would keep the same, though they intended to end this fight a lot better than last time.
They intended to end this whole day a lot better off than last time, and they trusted the plans that had already been discussed to insure it.
We really had to do this whole dramatic entrance again? Ling asks, but Greed can tell he’s relishing the surprised looks from everyone as they crane their heads up to stop them just as much as he is.
Are you honestly going to try and convince me you wouldn’t do something equally as dramatic right now? Greed raises an eyebrow, You? Mister ‘I do all my deep thinking perched on rooftops in the sunset’?
That’s not true. Ling mutters back, Sometimes I lounge in trees.
“You must be Greed.” Bradley calls up to them, voice measured and smooth, “We never had the chance to meet before, but I assure you I have heard of you. For your sake, you should have wished we never did.”
“I’m afraid that was just never an option, little brother.” Greed drawls, pulling himself to his feet as the Ultimate Shield spreads across his body, “You have something I want too badly. Because right now, my avariciousness is calling for your blood.”
They leap from the building, flipping midair and landing lightly on their feet, grin permanently stuck on their face as the Ultimate Shield finished covering their entire body.
“Yao!” Buccaneer shouts as the rest of the Briggs soldiers in the area cheer, “I don’t know what the fuck that is, but I’m happy to see you!”
“Ling?” Falman asks, coming closer to them, “Is that really you?”
“Falman! Buddy!” Ling greets, and it’s… weird. Greed knows what they look like right now, and to imagine Ling’s voice coming out of it is disconcerting. He must be making some sort of face, because Ling reaches over to pinch his thigh a moment later.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well!” Ling continues, “But, a word of advice, you’d better get out of here. Things are about to get… messy.”
“Hah!” Greed laughs, taking back control smoothly as Bradley draws his sword, “See, we’ve both got a grudge to settle against this self-rightious bastard.”
Bradley charges and Greed braces himself to meet him, blocking his first strike and lashing back with one of his own. They continue to fight, sword clashing against armored limbs, both sides fainting and dodging around the other’s blows.
Greed and Ling slip in and out of control with practiced smoothness, transitions so seamless they would be notable to anyone else, their style a perfect blend between Ling’s acrobatic calculation and Greed’s ruthless power.
Stay in his blind spot, Ling reminds as Greed ducks under Wrath’s sword, his partner immediately following his advice and rolling to the left, We need him to take off his eye patch.
That was a crucial part of their plan. Though it would make the fight harder, they needed Bradley to be taking them seriously if they were going to win, needed him to play his trump card early.
Luckily, just as he did last time, Bradley catches on quick. Or at least, he thinks he does.
“Trying to hide in my blindspot, huh?” He asks, watching as Greed stabilizes himself back into a fighting position on his left.
“What can I say?” Greed calls back, “The prince gave me a couple tricks on fighting you.”
“How helpful.” Bradley comments, “Unfortunately for you, I don’t have a blind spot.” With one swift motion, he rips the eye patch off and charges, backing Greed up against a wall.
Gotcha.
“Fire!” One of the Amestrian soldiers shouted, and a rain of bullets shot towards Wrath. He dodged and deflected every one, dashing towards the soldiers now that they've caught his attention.
Luckily for the soldiers, Greed and Ling were expecting that, and were already in position between Bradley and his targets, drawing him back into their fight before he could hurt any of them.
“Stay out of this!” Greed yells at the soldiers, glaring down Buccaneer, who looked like he was about to jump in. He remembered how well that worked out for him last time, and he would prefer Buccaneer to be un-skewered for later, “You can’t fight him!”
“Yes,” Bradley drawls, smoothly switching targets back to Greed, sword flashing almost too quickly to track, “I was warned about your tendency to become… attached to your little pets. I suppose I will just have to remind you what happened to your last ones.”
Greed growled, increasing his assault with renewed ferocity, flipping over Bradley’s head to claw at his back.
“They’re sending another battalion up the shaft!” Falman shouts, panic coloring his voice.
Right on schedule, Ling grins. They hadn’t been given reason to believe this would change, as far as they were aware no actions had been taken that would change it, but it was nice to have the confirmation nevertheless.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re a little busy right now!” Greed yells back, darting to the side to avoid Wrath’s sword, “You’ll have to handle this on your own!”
“On my own?” Falman echos, nervously eyeing the door to the stairway the enemy soldiers were charging up.
“I know you’re scared right now, but you are one of the smartest, most strategic people here. There is a reason you have gotten as far as you have and I know you can do this!” Ling encourages, slipping through Bradley’s guard to strike at his jaw before jumping out of the way of his retaliation.
Ling has faith in him because Falman has already done it once before, but the man in question doesn’t need to know that.
His attention is pulled back to the fight as Bradley’s sword swings towards his head, forcing them to crouch to avoid it. They attempt to take advantage of the opening to slash at him from below but he’s prepared, slamming a foot into them in a harsh kick.
Shit! Greed swears as they skid backwards, their shoulder slamming into the ground.
Just a little bit longer, Ling reminds, pushing them back onto their feet with a handspring and raising their arms just in time to meet Bradley’s blade.
Not even a moment later, a dark shape comes barreling out from the stairway, a hit connecting against the side of Wrath’s head to knock him away before his blade is being met with another, this new opponent moving so fast they are almost a blur.
“Fu! You’re here!” Ling greets excitedly, the Ultimate Shield slipping down his face so Fu could see him properly as Fu disengages with Wrath and flits over to his side, taking the chance to size up Bradley as the Führer does the same with him.
“Yes, young lord. I apologize for not having arrived earlier to assist you.”
“No, no,” Ling waves his apology off, beaming, “I’m just glad you're here.” It’s the first time he’s seen Fu in this timeline, the first time he’s seen him alive again, the first time he’s had Fu back.
And he suddenly knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are going to do this.
Are you… crying? Greed teases, a warm arm coming up to wrap around Ling.
Shut up, Ling mutters back, scrubbing a hand across his watering eyes, laughter choked and with a smile he can’t seem to wipe off his face, I’m just so fucking happy right now.
They’re going to get to keep him, this time. Fu is going to be just fine.
But to do that, they still have to kick Wrath’s fucking ass.
“We have a plan.” Ling explains, both of them jumping out of the way to avoid Bradley’s swing before dashing forward to retaliate, continuing the conversation even as they fight, “But to do it, we need you to trust us.”
“Us?” Fu echos, glancing over at him for just a moment before leaping over Bradley’s sword and throwing a barrage of knives at his eyes, “So it’s true. You are holding something within your body.”
“Wish we could have met under better circumstances, old man, because the prince really does speak highly of you.” Greed greets, taking advantage of the distraction Fu’s knives have gifted him to slash towards Bradley's legs.
“Anyway,” Ling grabs back control, returning to the previous topic, “You need to get out of this fight. We can handle him, but you are not to engage under any circumstances beyond this.”
“But young lord-”
Ling cuts him off, face set and determined, “I know what you’re planning, but we’re going to have to change it. Take them and prep the area. We’ll keep him distracted.”
Fu’s gaze meets Ling’s for only a second before they are both swept back into the fight, but that’s all that’s needed. Fu understands the plan.
“Scheming something, are we?” Bradley asks as Fu dodges the next swipe of his sword and slips out of the fight, Greed surging up to force Bradley to focus on him, “It seems obvious you care about that man a lot. I suppose he shall have to be the first to go.”
Greed only laughs, “You’d have to get through me first, brother dearest, and well, so far you haven’t been doing a great job of that!”
The fight continues to drag on, the two dancing around each other, each strike matched with another, beat for beat, like a dance. Injuries healed as quickly as they are inflicted, the snarling mask of a monster clashing against the cold, cruel face of the king.
But for all their skill, Bradley is stronger than them, and slowly, that is becoming more apparent. He has them backed up against a wall, no room for them to slip away when bang! A sharp pain digs into his shoulder.
Blinking, he finds Greed standing against the wall with a gun pointed towards him, a gun he has pulled from seemingly nowhere.
Greed shoots him again, firing a barrage of bullets towards him that Bradley is forced to dodge, eyes fixated on the gun in Greed’s hand.
The strangely familiar gun in Greed’s hands.
“Is that… is that my gun?!”
It is identical to the model that he likes to keep in his desk, the ones that had kept going missing a couple months ago.
Greed shoots him a cocky smirk, twirling the (now empty) gun around his finger, “Maybe. Would you like it back?” He chucks the gun towards Bradley’s head, dashing away in the direction of a potted tree nearby and pulling out another gun from behind it.
This pattern continues for a while, Bradley only growing more flabbergasted with every new gun, his anger growing in turn.
Finally, Fu gives the signal that everything is ready and Ling and Greed grin in unison. The fight kicks up a notch, their swings harder and faster as they force Bradley backwards, right into where they want him to be.
With a deafening BOOM, the ground underneath their feet explodes, the dynamite that had been strapped to Fu’s body repurposed and scattered about the area.
Bradley isn’t expecting it. His eye may be able to predict the moves of his opponents before they even make them, may allow him to react with uncanny speed and efficiency, but it cannot predict everything that happens in the area around him, not when his attention is already focused on another fight.
He is forced to take the brunt of the explosion, the Ultimate Shield protecting Greed and Ling from damage while Bradley’s sword flies out of his hand.
“Buccaneer, now!” Ling shouts and Buccaneer doesn’t hesitate, already having been itching to join the fight. He dashes into the cloud of dust generated by the explosion without hesitation, Fu and Greed only a second behind him.
Three points spear through Bradley’s body, impaling him in three different directions. Buccaneer’s sword, stabbing through his chest, Fu’s through his neck, and Greed’s hand plunging into his stomach.
He couldn’t have predicted it. Three opponents at once, coming through the smoke in different directions, combined with the shock from the explosion still ringing in his ears, he couldn’t have predicted it.
Bradley chokes, blood bubbling up past his lips as Greed grins.
“You know, you once told me I relied too much on my shield. Turns out, you relied too much on your eye.”
He yanks his hand free, stepping back and letting Ling deliver a beautiful roundhouse kick to Bradley’s face, knocking him over the edge of the rail and sending him plunging towards the water below.
There is silence for a moment, everyone breathing heavily now that the fight is over.
…Holy shit. We did it. Greed laughs, loud and manic, grin so wide it feels like it could split his face in two as the wave of overwhelming relief crashes into him. He scoops Ling up, holding him above his head as he spins them both giddily, We fucking won!
Ling whoops in celebration, smiling just as wide as Greed, both of them riding the high of this moment.
They did it. They beat Wrath and Fu and Buccaneer were still alive and they did it!
We’re fucking incredible! Ling cheers, arms flying out as Greed spins him, the joy exploding inside them so potent they could almost see it, echoing in their mindscape in sunbursts of yellow and gold.
Yeah, we are! Greed agrees, dropping Ling just enough so they can press their foreheads together, relishing the flood of emotions pulsing through them, heightened by the matching feeling coming from the other, We’re the greediest motherfuckers on the planet!
They still have so much more to do. It’s still the Promised Day, they know they have an army of soldiers currently advancing on their front door and Father to deal with after that.
But they are going to get through it. They are not going to lose anyone this time, they are sure of it.
And so for right now, they are going to celebrate.